Council hears new flood‑risk maps and GIS tools; staff touts CRS progress

City staff showed council a set of newly published online resources designed to help residents understand local flood risk and apply for Community Rating System (CRS) discounts.

Carmen, who led a GIS demonstration, said the new ‘building below street elevation’ app allows users to hover or click on individual buildings to see relative elevations and links to FEMA resources. She stressed the limits of the tool: “This is only for information and awareness purposes. It’s not meant to replace an engineering study,” Carmen said, and recommended that residents contact their insurance agent for follow‑up.

Staff also noted the city’s recent CRS review cycle had two minor resubmissions and that the new building‑elevation map earned extra credit from the review team. The presentation included live links to USGS and Texas Water Development Board gauges and plans for public outreach at upcoming community events to explain flood insurance and mitigation options.

Council thanked Carmen and colleagues for cross‑departmental work and asked which next steps council can take to secure the final CRS points; staff identified two mandatory items (updating building codes and completing a building services rating process) to target before the next cycle.